I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this important issue raised by Senator Maria Byrne. I also welcome the publication of HIQA's report of the unannounced inspection of the emergency department, ED, at University Hospital Limerick against the national standards for safer better healthcare. Four national standards were assessed as part of the HIQA inspection, two standards in each of the two dimensions of capacity and capability, and quality and safety. HIQA judged that UHL was partially compliant agai…

As I stated, I am concerned by the findings in respect of patient safety in the HIQA report. However, I believe the report provides an important opportunity for a renewed focus on the capacity and capability of UHL and on the quality and safety of the emergency services it delivers to the people of the mid-west. The Senator has articulated those issues extremely well. HIQA reviews are essential in ensuring that the resources required to underpin patient safety are optimised and that learning is shared across all ho…

The Minister for Transport thanks Senator Craughwell for raising this matter. As the Senator outlines, the final report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit into the Rescue 116 accident at Blackrock, County Mayo, on 14 March 2017 was published on 5 November 2021. The report contains 42 safety recommendations, of which 14 were addressed to the Minister for Transport, in the form of individual transmittal letters. At the time of the publication of the report the Minister for Transport fully accepted the recommendat…

I thank Senator Craughwell for his contribution today. The provision of an effective maritime search and rescue service is critical to Ireland as an island nation with a strong maritime sector, which depends on the reliability and professionalism of the Irish Coast Guard and all its component parts, including the Coast Guard aviation service, to offer a service which we all agree can deploy at a moment's notice to rescue people in distress and bring them to a place of safety. As noted earlier, since receipt of the …

I thank the Senators for the opportunity to address the House on this important matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I acknowledge the work and role played by neurological nurse specialists in the care of patients. They play an important role in triaging, assessing, and providing ongoing support to neurological patients. This in turn builds capacity within neurological services and allows for more timely access to efficient, equitable and quality care. I am advised that the HSE's na…

I will bring the Senators' concerns back to the Minister for Health. The Government is committed to improving services in line with Sláintecare. The development of these services provides an opportunity to make significant changes to the quality of life of our citizens. The South/South West Hospital Group remains committed to the development of neurology services within the group. There are currently five specialist nurses working in neurology services at CUH, and two additional consultants are being recruited. The…

I thank the Senators for raising this topic and affording me the opportunity to address the House about this important issue. I have listened carefully and agree with many of the points raised by the Senators. As they are aware, the WTO ministerial conference is ongoing and concludes today in Geneva. This is the major decision-making forum for the WTO and the intention is that the intellectual property aspects can be agreed as part of the broader WTO trade-related response to the pandemic. A draft ministerial decis…

I acknowledge that this is a critical issue and I believe it is morally right to ensure that, regardless of where people are in the world, they have access to vaccines. I firmly believe, as does the Government, that no one is safe until everybody is safe. As vaccine production is no longer the issue, the international community is now focused on the need to rapidly build capacity in low-income countries including with regard to healthcare workers, cold chain logistics, infrastructure to properly move and store vacc…

I thank all the speakers today for their considered thoughts on such an important matter. I reiterate what my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, said about the value we must place on medical scientists in our healthcare service. I pay tribute to the dedication, professionalism and commitment of all medical scientists throughout the country. They worked tirelessly during the pandemic and their efforts in testing Covid-19 samples were, and still are, very significant. The Government recognises the extr…

Engagement is ongoing. Testing for drugs at festivals is a welcome move. We are working with all stakeholders to introduce that. There are many emerging trends. On 14 January, €815,000 of recurring funding was announced for a HSE initiative to address harm associated with the use of cocaine and crack cocaine. The Deputy brought those emerging trends to our attention. At all times, the resources and funding are there to work with all stakeholders to address these issues. Two citizens' assemblies are ongoing and work…

The capital plan is due to be announced very shortly. If the Deputy wants to bring some issues to my attention, I will follow them up in the Department.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health. The model of care for the termination of pregnancy service became operational in January 2019, following the enactment and commencement of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. Termination up to nine weeks’ gestation is carried out in the community by GPs or doctors working in family planning and women's health clinics, providing clinical supervision and supporting women's self-management. Wom…

I again thank the Senator. I do not have a date for when the review will be announced but I will follow that up in the Department. Timely access to care, as close to home or the community as possible, is a key principle of the vision of Sláintecare. The review of the changes to the termination of pregnancy model of care adopted during the pandemic is an appropriate and timely initiative. The Department is continuing its engagements with the HSE regarding the final considerations related to this review and the next …

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue, which is worthy of many local authorities and towns across the country. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The Government's policy regarding the increased usage of EVs is primarily driven by the climate action plan, which sets a target of having 936,000 EVs on Ireland's roads by 2030. To support these EVs, Ireland has a comprehensive charging network available to EV owners to charge their vehicles. A number of operators provide…

This intervention alone will result in 90 additional high-power chargers, each capable of charging two vehicles; 52 additional fast chargers, which may replace existing standard chargers; and 264 replacement standard chargers with more modern technology and each consisting of two charge points. The project is due to be completed in 2022. In March, the Department of Transport published a draft EV charging infrastructure strategy, which is currently out for public consultation. Once finalised, the strategy will provi…

Senator Kyne has raised an important issue. I would have expected there to have been more than 12 standard charge points in County Galway. More needs to be done. We continue to expand the national charging network through support for on-street chargers. A report was published by the County and City Management Association giving guidance to local authorities on the provision of charging infrastructure. The document may be viewed online. To support home-charging, the SEAI, on behalf of the Department of Transport, ad…

I thank my colleague, Deputy Durkan, for an interesting speech on the Bill and many other aspects of law and order throughout the country. On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, I thank everyone for their broad support for this important Bill and for their contributions over recent days. As the Minister mentioned in her opening remarks on Tuesday, the current Garda compensation scheme has been in operation since the 1940s. It is important that we update the processes and key actors to make it more e…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Justice pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(a) and 181(1).

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. On behalf of the Minister, I acknowledge and pay tribute to the dedication, professionalism and commitment of all medical scientists throughout the country. Medical scientists play a valued and vital role within our health service. Their drive and dedication have been key components in our management of the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, they were at the front line of the response, providing a crucial role in testing and this has not gone unnoticed. I am acutely a…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It was disappointing that the MLSA initiated strike action and that its vital role and presence in clinical settings across the country was suspended yesterday, causing disruption across the health service.